SAN DIEGO STATE FOOTBALL: Aztecs close to decision on new quarterback

After the San Diego State football team lost four-year starter Ryan Lindley to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, that's the big question for the Aztecs as they kicked off fall camp on Monday night.

And second-year coach Rocky Long says the answer is coming soon.

"There's been no decision made yet," Long said Monday afternoon. "We're going to let them compete in the first week of camp, and we'll have a starter named by the end of that first week.

"It's important for starters to get into a rhythm."

The two players competing for the starting QB job Adam Dingwell, a third-year sophomore who backed up Lindley last season, and Ryan Katz, a transfer from Oregon State. Katz saw most of the snaps in the spring, but Long maintained that there is no clear-cut favorite.

"They were both hot and cold in the spring," he said. "Each was bad one day and good the next."

On paper, the obvious advantage goes to Katz for his experience. Katz appeared in 18 games for the Beavers over three seasons and made 14 starts. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,737 yards and 19 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions — including a streak of 129 consecutive pass attempts without an interception in his sophomore season.

"He's shown that he's a very accurate passer," Long said of Katz. "He is a great athlete in the pocket, he's shown that he can run if he has to, and he's been there before; he's played in some very big games."

"It's hard to compare Lindley and Katz, but I've been impressed by Katz so far," senior center Alec Johnson said. "He's shown the ability to scramble and extend plays. It's clear that he has confidence, and that's very important at the quarterback position.

"We'll see what he shows in camp."

Dingwell, who's entering his third season with the Aztecs, redshirted in 2010 and didn't attempt a pass while serving mop-up duty behind Lindley last year.

Despite his lack of game experience, Long is high on Dingwell.

"Adam is one of the toughest guys on this team," he said. "He is a great competitor and he has the ability to will this team to win; he can will the team to score.

"You can win a whole bunch of games with a tough quarterback."

The player who will be under center when the Aztecs open their season Sept. 1 at Washington will remain a mystery for another week, but Long embraces the competition that lies ahead.

"We're in a better situation than we were last year," he said. "If something happened to Ryan, it was a concern because our backups weren't ready. But that's not the case now.

"I have confidence that both (Katz and Dingwell) can play well enough to have a good chance to win."